I Was Just a Scumbag Extra, But She Loved Me Anyway [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 8

The rumors about a professor-student romantic relationship (BO romance) had undoubtedly caused a significant impact on Jiang Youning.

Ever since Zhong Li confronted her, discussions about Jiang Youning had flooded H University’s campus forums. Even the identity of the student Zhong Li mentioned—the one she supposedly had a crush on—had been unearthed.

At first, students only whispered cautious guesses. But once someone mentioned Ruan Shengsheng’s name, the situation spiraled out of control.

In the Dean’s office, the Dean and two Associate Deans sat opposite Jiang Youning, trying to “understand” whether the viral rumors on the forum had any truth to them.

The three deans spoke at length, their words flowing nonstop. Jiang Youning lowered her eyes slightly, struggling to suppress the urge to rebut.

During a pause in the conversation, the Dean asked, “Professor Jiang, do you have anything to say regarding this matter?”

“Those rumors are completely baseless and absurd,” Jiang Youning replied, her lashes lowered and her tone indifferent. “I am not so disgraceful as to deliberately sabotage someone else’s relationship.”

“We certainly trust your character,” one of the Associate Deans responded. “But the rumors of a professor-student affair are quite problematic. It casts a poor image within the university.”

Jiang Youning glanced at the associate dean. “There has never been anything between Ruan Shengsheng and me beyond the teacher-student relationship.”

“That’s good to hear,” the Dean nodded. “Since your relationship is clean, then clarify the situation as soon as possible, so neither of you suffers unnecessary damage. As for that student… if she wants to date someone, let her. This is a university; most of our students are adults. We must respect their choices.”

Jiang Youning was momentarily stunned. She looked up at her mentor in disbelief.

Ruan Shengsheng had only just summoned the courage to walk away from Zhong Li and begin living for herself. How could she possibly allow her to go back and resume that toxic relationship?

Seeing Jiang Youning’s reaction, the Dean frowned as if something was weighing on him. He hesitated but ultimately said nothing further, only warning her sternly, “Professor Jiang, now is not the time to be stubborn. If there’s nothing between you and Ruan Shengsheng, don’t stand in the way of her freedom to date.”

Jiang Youning was silent for a moment. With her long-standing rapport with her mentor, she could tell he had something more to say. But after a pause, she still refused.

“I’m sorry, Dean. This is the one matter I cannot accept.”

With that, Jiang Youning didn’t wait for a response. She stood up and walked out of the office.

Since Ruan Shengsheng had already broken up with Zhong Li, there was no way she’d allow her to get tangled up with that woman again.

That scumbag Alpha would only hurt Ruan Shengsheng and drag her down further.

Moreover, even if she set aside her personal feelings for Ruan Shengsheng, Jiang Youning couldn’t possibly abandon a student who was caught in a toxic situation yet showed a desire to break free—unlike how the Dean suggested, with such ruthless detachment.

While Jiang Youning was unwilling to let go, far away on the other side of J City, the scumbag Alpha had no intention of backing off either.

Not long after the meeting in the Dean’s office, before the storm had settled, a research project under one of Jiang Youning’s students was suddenly suspended—without any reason. The student was instructed to halt the project and undergo a new round of proposal review.

This project had taken over six months of preparation, and its ongoing progress had already consumed an immense amount of time and effort. It was supposed to be submitted to a prestigious international journal, with the student as the first author. Most of the experiments were already complete. If the university’s interference caused delays or worse, it would be a devastating blow to the student.

Upon receiving the news, Jiang Youning immediately rushed to the Dean’s office and blocked his path.

“Why are you suspending Lin Chuan’s project? You were part of the original proposal review, weren’t you? There’s no way there were any issues.”

The Dean, seated behind his desk, gave Jiang Youning a long, steady look. He stood up, closed the door, and turned back to her with a serious expression.

“Do you really think it’s because of the proposal?” he asked.

Jiang Youning paused, as if her suspicion had just been confirmed. She closed her eyes briefly and asked, “…Was it Zhong Li?”

The Dean didn’t answer. He averted his gaze, sat down, and took a sip of tea.

“Why target an innocent student?” she asked, unable to accept it. “Lin Chuan did nothing wrong.”

After a brief silence, the Dean finally sighed and gave her a small hint: “Actually, the Zhong Group has far more influence over H University than most people realize. Several of their subsidiary companies collaborate closely with the school. The President himself even holds shares in one of them. At this point, this issue has gone beyond just our department.”

He paused again and sighed. “If you don’t want more innocent students dragged into this, then listen to me. Stay away from anything involving Zhong Li.”

Hearing this, Jiang Youning could only feel a deep sense of absurdity.

Was she being asked to choose between the academic and research rights of all her other students, or the safety and freedom of one student who had caught the attention of a manipulative predator?

That such a choice even existed in this world was beyond belief.

The Dean was still waiting for Jiang Youning to give an answer, but she simply couldn’t choose—no matter how hard she tried, there was no choice to be made. Even as she drove to the R&D center under the Su Group, her mind was still tangled in the dilemma.

If it were just about her and Ruan Shengsheng, then Jiang Youning would never let go, no matter what. But now innocent people were getting dragged into this mess—and there might be more in the future…

Jiang Youning braced herself against the lab bench with one hand and let the empty reagent bottle in her hand fall with a sense of defeat.

“What’s wrong?”

Su Chenli suddenly appeared behind her, giving her a puzzled look.

These days, Jiang Youning couldn’t even see someone remotely connected to Zhong Li without recalling what that woman had done. Upon hearing his question, she glanced at him coldly and replied stiffly, “Nothing.”

“Hmm.” Su Chenli tilted his head.

That obviously wasn’t “nothing.”

Based on the timing… it was probably something Zhong Li stirred up again, wasn’t it? As if humiliating the beautiful professor face-to-face at school wasn’t enough…

“She threatened you with money, didn’t she?” Su Chenli asked.

Jiang Youning paused and looked at him, confused.

“I mean Zhong Li,” Su Chenli clarified helpfully, then added, “Oh, right, you’re not short on money. So she must be using the Zhong Group’s influence to threaten the people around you?”

Jiang Youning fell silent for a moment, then looked away in disgust. “You second-generation heirs really are familiar with this kind of tactic.”

“…I’ve never actually done it,” Su Chenli muttered defensively.

“Heh.” Jiang Youning gave a cold laugh. “What’s the difference? She used my student’s research project to threaten me… She actually used a student’s experiment as leverage! That experiment determines whether my student can graduate!”

Her voice trembled slightly. Jiang Youning closed her eyes, as if trying to restrain herself, but ultimately couldn’t.

“She doesn’t need a degree to prove her worth, so she probably has no idea how much a diploma means to an ordinary student. That’s why she can so easily turn someone else’s hard work into a bargaining chip. It’s insane!”

Su Chenli said nothing, only lowering his eyes to gaze at Jiang Youning—rarely so visibly angry. His eyes drifted to her elegant, cool side profile. On impulse, he asked softly, “Then… have you ever considered coming to me for help?”

Jiang Youning blinked, the fury in her eyes dimming slightly. She looked at him, confused. “What did you say?”

Honestly, Su Chenli was a bit stunned himself when the words left his mouth. But he recovered quickly and spoke with conviction.

Well, since it was already out there, he might as well run with it.

“I mean, let me help you with this whole situation,” he said matter-of-factly. “I may not be as good at stirring up trouble as Zhong Li, but when it comes down to it—the Su family isn’t any weaker than the Zhongs.”

The moment he said that, two things happened at once: the system let out a piercing shriek in Jiang Youning’s mind, and she herself asked in confusion:

“Why would you help me?”

【AAAAHHH HOST!!! What are you even saying right now?!】

Su Chenli smoothly ignored the system’s screaming and looked straight at Jiang Youning. After a moment of thought, he said sincerely:

“Maybe… it’s because I kind of like you?”

【Friendly Reminder: Host, please stay in character at all times. Breaking character (OOC) increases the risk of world instability. All consequences will be your sole responsibility.】

A string of system prompts flashed rapidly in front of Su Chenli’s eyes.

Before she could process them, a wave of dizziness surged from the depths of her consciousness. She staggered slightly, holding her forehead. When she opened her eyes again, the lighting had dimmed considerably. Dazzling colored lights floated through a spacious room, glinting off tables filled with empty bottles and brushing past the hems of girls’ dresses.

In her ears, she finally caught up to the thump of loud music and the crisp clink of glass.

A club?

“Chenli, what’s with you tonight? Barely drank anything and already drunk?”

A teasing voice laced with alcohol and laughter drifted toward her. Ice cubes clinked against a glass. Even without turning her head, Su Chenli could feel the decadent atmosphere.

She glanced over and saw a heavily made-up woman nearby, grinning at her. Their eyes met, and the woman blinked in surprise.

Wait… why does Su Chenli look prettier tonight?

Su Chenli didn’t respond. She looked down at her glass. In the reflection of a nearby bottle, she caught a glimpse of her own face—those familiar fox-like eyes staring quietly back through the glass.

Ah, so she still had her original face.

Drawing on her professional training, she revealed not a single crack. She took a sip of her drink and smoothly responded, “Drunk? Please. I’ve only just started. Cheers.”

Their glasses clinked. The liquid rippled.

Su Chenli tilted her head back for another sip while scanning her surroundings again.

So this is the “mini world” the system mentioned? I blacked out at a hotel, and now I’ve woken up in a club?

【Correct, my dear Host! This is your first mission world: The Cold CEO and Her Innocent Little Flower. In this world, the scumbag Alpha (the “CEO”) and her naive Omega “little flower” will enact a classic love-chase drama—first hurting, then pursuing. You, as a background character from the scumbag Alpha’s entourage, only need to show up now and then and stir the pot a little. It’s super easy and laid-back~】

Su Chenli narrowed her eyes. “You can talk to me? Won’t others hear?”

【Of course not!】 the system answered smugly.
【Only you can hear me. I’ll be with you throughout the task! And honestly, Host, your assignment ranks in the top three easiest of all the ones I’ve ever issued. Just vibe and collect your points~ The only thing to keep an eye on is the “Devoted Female Lead” in each world. They’re usually the biggest obstacle to the scumbag Alpha’s redemption arc, so you might have to interact with them often. Other than that, it’s smooth sailing!】

Devoted female lead, huh?

Su Chenli filed that away mentally. She glanced back at the woman beside her, relaxing her expression.

Well, everyone here’s just an NPC. No need to overthink it. Let’s coast through this plot together.

A moment later, the woman next to her suddenly tilted her chin and said, “Look over there—Zhong Li is at it again with her little darling.”

“Hm?” Su Chenli looked up.

By the bar, right in the middle of the dance floor, a brazen beauty with long, wavy hair was grabbing the wrist of a delicate girl in a floral dress.

The two of them were caught in a dramatic tug-of-war. The beauty looked amused, even smug. A small crowd had formed around them, clearly focused on the scene—but unmistakably gravitating toward the domineering Alpha.

Judging by the setup, this was definitely the system’s “Scumbag A and her Little Flower O.”

Since Su Chenli was part of the scumbag Alpha’s entourage in this world, she guessed she was expected to align with that side. She leaned her chin on her hand, watching the drama unfold: You love me, but I don’t love you—the oldest trick in the dog-bl00d book. She began calculating when she should make an appearance to fulfill her “face time” quota.

Just then, the door to the private room creaked open.

Su Chenli instinctively turned to look.

A gentle breeze wafted into the space as a woman entered the room—cool and elegant, with long, sleek hair falling over her shoulders. Her features were delicate and composed, framed by a pair of silver-rimmed glasses that lent her a distant, unapproachable air. Her shirt was buttoned to the top, and a silver-gray A-line skirt hugged her long legs. She looked pure, even ascetic—and yet, something about her was inexplicably sexy.

Su Chenli’s eyes landed on her—and for a split second, her breath caught.

…She’s beautiful.